The CDC warns of coronavirus in gyms, warns that masks, better ventilation are a must.

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The CDC warns of coronavirus in gyms, warns that masks, better ventilation are a must.

Fri, 2021-02-26 00:45 — mike kraft

Dozens got coronavirus from high-intensity workouts in gyms. The CDC warns that masks, better ventilation are a must. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday urged gym users to wear masks during intense workouts — even when socially distanced — and asked gyms to improve ventilation and push for outdoor activities when possible. Andrea Salcedo Washington Post

In September, a Chicago resident called their gym with alarming news: They’d recently come to an indoor workout class despite feeling sick and then later tested positive for the coronavirus.

The gym quickly shut its doors, but it was too late. Fifty-five of the 81 people who attended high-intensity classes at the facility between Aug. 24 and Sept. 1 would eventually test positive. A similar case tied to three gyms in Honolulu over the summer resulted in 22 total infections.

Citing both cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday urged gym users to wear masks during intense workouts — even when socially distanced — and asked gyms to improve ventilation and push for outdoor activities when possible.

The new research is a reminder that working out indoors with other people carries a significant risk of infection, public health experts said.

“If you can wait until the spring and work out outside, it will be a lot safer,” Joshua Epstein, an epidemiology professor at NYU’s School of Global Public Health, told The Washington Post. “We are not out of the woods by any means. It’s not the time to relax.”

Studies have long pointed to gyms as a particularly dangerous venue for spreading the coronavirus, as many people from different households pack into indoor rooms where they breathe heavily and sometimes work with instructors who yell instructions during classes. ...

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